Place of Honor
by Eternity's Ghost
Summary: Deputy Challenge for DragonClan. Cloverstream and her apprentice Shadowpaw go out one fateful day, and the StormClan warrior is blessed with a great place of honor. One-shot.


**All characters belong to me! I hope you enjoy! Number of Words: 2,766**

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**_Place of Honor_**

Cloverstream stretched in her nest, which was at the end of the warriors' tunnel with Rainclaw's and Willowfur's, the two other senior warriors. She felt her muscles expand and ripple under her brown tabby pelt, supple after moons of training, hunting, and fighting for her Clan. Carefully she wove her way through pebbly and feather-lined nests, occupied and empty alike, and emerged into the StormClan camp. The noises of everyday clan life reached her ears, and she couldn't help but purr.

Outside the apprentices' tunnel, Sandpaw and Stonepaw tussled playfully with claws sheathed. Two of the other apprentices, Darkpaw and Patchpaw, silently snuck up and the pair and pounced. Darkpaw battered Sandpaw's belly, and Patchpaw pinned Stonepaw to the earthen floor. The gray tom began to laugh, and before long Patchpaw joined in. The Clan leader, Blizzardstar, padded up to the two apprentices, a look of sheer annoyance on his face.

"Patchpaw! Stonepaw!" he barked. The black-and-white she-cat started at the sound of her leader's voice and stepped away from Stonepaw, who got up and shook out his fur.

"Y-yes father?" Patchpaw asked timidly.

"You're supposed to be on the sunhigh patrol with myself, Dustwhisker, and Oakfoot," Blizzardstar snapped. "The patrol is waiting on you!" Patchpaw nodded and walked over to the entrance tunnel, casting one glance back at her leader and fellow apprentice. The former turned toward Stonepaw and locked the young tom in his icy stare.

"And you," he growled, "stay away from my daughter." Stonepaw nodded respectfully, and Blizzardstar followed his daughter outside. However, before the pale gray tom could leave, the Clan's medicine cat, Cloudpool, bounded over to him.

"Greetings, Blizzardstar," he said with a dip of his head. "Is the dawn patrol leaving?" Blizzardstar nodded. "Then I will go with you. I wanted to collect some more juniper berries, as well as some borage for Berry. Her kits are due any time now, and we're out."

"Very well." Cloverstream saw Blizzardstar tense at the mention of the pregnant she-cat. Berry was a loner, but when she became heavy with Oakfoot's kits, she was allowed into the Clan. Most of the Clan members were shocked at Oakfoot's betrayal, and shunned the couple during Berry's early days as a StormClan queen. After a while, though, every cat became used to her presence, but many still harbored a distrust toward her. The only cats who trusted her were Oakfoot and Cloudpool, even after being a member of the clan for six moons. Cloverstream herself hadn't fully accepted the cream she-cat yet.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, the tabby padded over to the apprentices' tunnel and ducked inside as Blizzardstar and Cloudpool left the camp. The faint sound of snoring reached her ears, and she spotted Shadowpaw asleep in his nest. She walked over to her apprentice and gently poked him in the side. The black tom rolled over, and then opened his eyes and blinked blearily up at his mentor.

"Come on, sleepyhead," Cloverstream said, her emerald eyes warm. "It's time for your first lesson in battle training."

Shadowpaw shot to his paws, his sleepiness forgotten, making Cloverstream purr in amusement. The six-moon-old tom had just been made an apprentice the previous day, and Cloverstream had taken him on a tour of the territory. He had readily soaked up everything she told him, but the long trek had left him exhausted. Now he seemed to be fizzing with energy at the mention of his first training session.

"Let's go!" he exclaimed, darting around his mentor and waiting at the camp entrance. The brown warrior chuckled and padded up to her apprentice, who was bouncing on his paws. She allowed Shadowpaw to take the lead. His eyes shone with excitement as the duo reached the training hollow.

"Alright, Shadowpaw, the first thing you need to know about battle is that warriors only kill if it is completely necessary. For example, if a HawkClan warrior were attacking me right now and trying to kill me, I would do the same; however, if he was only trying to defend himself I would send him off with a few wounds to think about. Do you understand?" Shadowpaw nodded eagerly.

"Now, let's say I'm a HawkClan warrior and I'm trying to..." Cloverstream fell silent as an all-too-familiar sound reached her ears - the quiet, barking growl of a fox. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a russet shape slinking through the trees toward them. She turned to face the creature as it advanced and bared her teeth in a snarl, curved claws sliding out and a growl rumbling in her throat. "Shadowpaw," she hissed, "run."

"Why?" he asked, confusion and fear in his voice.

"A fox," she growled, her fur fluffing out. "Coming this way. You need to warn the clan, and send one of the apprentices to fetch Blizzardstar and his patrol."

"Cloverstream, you can't fight..."

"Just go!" Cloverstream spat, cutting him off. Finally, the stubborn tom stopped arguing and turned to run.

Before he could move, the fox lunged, sailing right over Cloverstream and knocking Shadowpaw to the ground. The animal's shaggy fur was clumped and dull, and every one of its ribs was visible. Its amber eyes gleamed with hunger as it gazed down at the terrified apprentice beneath it. "Shadowpaw!" Cloverstream yelped, fear making her voice high. At the sound of the StormClan warrior's exclamation, the fox glared at her and scooped up Shadowpaw in its jaws. She saw blood trickle down his black flanks, and he squealed in pain and terror.

With a final growl at Cloverstream, the fox turned and bounded off into the forest, Shadowpaw struggling in its jaws. The senior warrior stared after it in shock, and then shook it off and raced after the fox in pursuit. The creature had drawn far ahead if her in her hesitation, but the reeking scent trail it left behind made it easy to track. Horror pulsed through Cloverstream, lending her extra strength. She dug her claws into the ground with each stride and stretched her legs as far as they could go, propelling herself forward.

Her lungs screamed and her muscles burned, but she wouldn't give up. _Ancestors,_ she silently plead, _please protect Shadowpaw. Please grant that I'll find him before the fox can harm him._

She skidded to a halt in front of a huge, ancient oak tree. A burrow gaped up at her from among the twisted roots of the tree, and the scent of fox radiated strongly from the hole. Not in the least bit afraid for her life, she crept inside and drew the air over her scent glands. The reek of fox was fresh, nearly overpowering the scent of fear and blood. Cloverstream's heart leaped. _This must be the fox's den,_ she thought. _Which means Shadowpaw must be in here, too!_

The tabby she-cat narrowed her green eyes and slunk through the den, trying to home in specifically on Shadowpaw's fear scent. The trail wound through a long tunnel, and eventually Cloverstream lost all sense of direction. Only her apprentice's scent kept her moving, which was growing steadily stronger. Soon, she heard his frightened whimper, and she quickened her pace. Ahead of her, a faint light blinked into life and gradually grew. When Cloverstream reached the end of the tunnel, it opened up into a small cavern, in the middle of which was the fox. A black bundle of trembling fur cowered at its paws.

"Shadowpaw!" Cloverstream called to her apprentice, ignoring the fox at the moment. "Hold on, I'll save you!" His wide green eyes blinked at her fearfully. The fox snarled and turned on the brown tabby she-cat, hunger and annoyance glittering in its cold amber eyes. Cloverstream snarled back and unsheathed her claws. Going on the offence, she sprang at the fox's throat. The russet beast swatted her aside with a forepaw the size of her head, and she crashed into the far cavern wall and slid to the ground. Cloverstream's ears rang painfully and her vision spun. The entire left side of her body felt like it was on fire. She saw the fox approaching and struggled to stand, but her knees buckled and she collapsed.

The tabby yowled as the fox's teeth sank into her and it lifted her off the dirt floor. With feirce lashes of its slim head, it shook her like a piece of fresh-kill. She felt as if her brain was rattling around in her skull, and her surroundings were a blur of earthy brown and black. Her limbs splayed out around her, feeling like they were being slowly pulled off. Blood flew the air as the fox's fangs pierced her skin.

"Hold on, Cloverstream!" The battered she-cat barely registered Shadowpaw's voice. All of a sudden, the fox let out a yelp and spun around, and Cloverstream fell to the ground with a wet thud. Through hazy vision, she saw Shadowpaw's jaws locked around the creature's tail. It lunged at the black tom, obviously annoyed that its meal was fighting back. To Cloverstream's relief, Shadowpaw hopped out of the way and the fox's jaws snapped around air.

"Shadowpaw, hide!" she ordered weakly. "This isn't your fight!" The black apprentice took one glance up at the angry amber eyes of his captor, and Cloverstream could see his momentary bravery drain through his paws. He spun around in fright and bolted down a narrow tunnel, which was too narrow for the fox to follow suit. Cloverstream got to her paws shakily, her wounds burning, and faced the creature.

"Hey hare-brain!" she taunted the fox, catching its attention. The creature spun to face her, its eyes narrowing. The StormClan warrior spotted a white flash of fur right over its jugular, where she would need to strike to kill it, and focused on that spot. She darted under the fox and ripped her front claws through its snow-white belly. Blood sprayed on her, the fox, and the ground. Just as the fox collapsed, trying to crush her, she slipped out from under it and jumped to her paws.

Now that the creature's shoulders were level with her head, she had a clear shot at finishing the battle once and for all. While the fox was still on the ground, she coiled her muscles and sprang onto its back, digging in her hind claws and clawing mercilessly at its shoulder blades. The fox yelped in pain and twisted wildly, trying to drag the warrior off of its back. However, Cloverstream dug her claws in harder and ripped at its shoulders until her claws scraped bone.

Weakened from pain and blood loss, the fox rolled over onto its back in a desperate attempt to crush the she-cat, but once again Cloverstream sprang away. _A fatal mistake,_ she smirked. She leaped onto the fallen brute's chest and sank her teeth into the white patch on its throat.

The fox convulsed and flailed its paws as the tabby she-cat's teeth crushed its windpipe. Finally, it fell still, and Cloverstream released its throat. She spat out blood and hair as Shadowpaw crept from the tunnel he had fled into, his eyes as wide as full moons. "Is it...dead?" he asked, fear and amazement in his voice. Cloverstream nodded, compassion for her apprentice welling up in her. She hopped off of the dead fox and licked the tom's head.

"Come on, we should get back to camp," she said gently. "We don't want anyone to start worrying about us, now do we? We should probably take this fox back, too. The meat doesn't taste half bad, and the scent of blood could attract other predators." Shadowpaw nodded and helped his mentor as she hauled the fox's limp body out of the den. Cloverstream immediately relaxed as the sun's rays warmed her bloodied pelt, and she felt strength flow into her. A rusty purr rumbled in her throat.

"Cloverstream, I can smell other cats," Shadowpaw said, inhaling deeply. "It's Blizzardstar and the sunhigh patrol!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Blizzardstar, Dustwhisker, Oakfoot, and Patchpaw emerged from the undergrowth. Patchpaw's eyes boggled at the sight of the dead fox, Dustwhisker and Oakfoot began peppering Shadowpaw with questions, and Blizzardstar approached the battered and bleeding Cloverstream.

"What happened here?" the StormClan leader demanded, flicking his tail at the she-cat's wounds and at the fox.

"A fox attacked Shadowpaw and I in the training hollow and ran off with Shadowpaw. I ran it down and killed it, and we were about to bring it back to camp when we ran into each other," she explained, keeping the story as short as possible. Blizzardstar nodded and turned to face the rest of his patrol.

"Dustwhisker, Oakfoot, and Patchpaw," he commanded. "You three can carry the fox back to camp. Cloverstream and I will take the lead, and Shadowpaw can follow behind." Shadowpaw looked up at his leader, surprised, and scurried to the back of the patrol. Dustwhisker, Oakfoot, and Patchpaw each grasped the fox in their jaws, and Cloverstream joined Blizzardstar at the head.

For most of the journey back, the six StormClan cats remained silent. When they reached the camp, it took all six of them to shove the fox, muzzle-first, through the entrance tunnel. Cloverstream quickly followed suit, and the patrol and their prize energed into camp. Blizzardstar leaped up onto the Calling Stone as Cloverstream sat before her catch and began to groom her bloodied pelt.

"Let all cats join here beneath the Calling Stone for a meeting!" he yowled, his authoritative voice reverberating off of the earthen camp walls. Falconwing and Berry, the Clan's only queens, emerged from the nursery, their eyes widening at the sight of the dead fox. Falconwing immediately rushed over to Cloverstream and covered her face in licks, horror filling her eyes at her daughter's gruesome state. Streamclaw, Deerflight, and Nightstirke padded out of the warriors' tunnel, and the two elders, Thunderheart and Blossomfur, sat side-by-side outside their shared den. Cloudpool helped his only patient, Cinderfeather, limp out of the medicine cat's tunnel and sit down to listen.

Cloverstream gazed at Cinderfeather sympathetically. The gray tabby had been hunting near the Hissing Stones when a patrol of HawkClan cats ambushed him. Hopelessly outnumbered, the rival Clan cats had beaten him and stolen the only piece of prey he'd caught that day. Now, the tom was confined to the medicine cat den for a hideously marred hind leg, a token of that awful day.

Soon, the entire Clan had gathered, and Blizzardstar began to speak. "Cats of StormClan," he began. "Today we owe a great debt to Cloverstream. To save her apprentice's life, she fought and killed a fully-grown fox single-pawed when the brute snatched Shadowpaw and ran off. If not for her immense bravery, Shadowpaw would have been fresh-kill.

"It is Tawnyfang's wish to retire to the elders' tunnel, and I have granted her that right. Tawnyfang, you were a noble and wise deputy, and I hope that your life as an elder is comfortable."

Cloverstream called out the former deputy's name with her clanmates. "Tawnyfang! Tawnyfang! Tawnyfang! Tawnyfang!" Tawnyfang dipped her head to her leader, and Blizzardstar raised his tail for silence. The cries quieted down, and then stopped.

"I have one other announcement to make," he said. "Now that Tawnyfang had retired, it is time to choose a new deputy to take her place. Cloverstream, you are a loyal and brave cat, and I could think of none other to serve as my deputy. Do you accept?" Cloverstream stared up at her leader, surprise and joy wrestling for dominence. She dipped her head nervously.

"I-I accept. I promise to be the best deputy a leader could ask for, and more," she vowed.

"I know you will," Blizzardstar replied, his amber eyes kind. Cloverstream licked the white, clover-shaped patch on her chest in embarrassment as the Clan called out her name. She briefly locked eyes with her leader and nodded slightly. _You can count on me, Blizzardstar,_ she thought. _I won't let you down._


End file.
